


Those Nights

by Dragonfruit112



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Gen, I wrote these after some bad nights so, It's kinda cute idk, eheeeeehhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 12:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13294695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonfruit112/pseuds/Dragonfruit112
Summary: No matter how a person shows themselves during the day, no matter how tough they may make themselves seem, no one can truly control what their mind subjects them to when they're asleep at night. The Dragonborn and her companion are no exception.





	1. Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah these two lil short stories have been kind of floating around my docs for awhile, so I've decided to throw caution to the wind and post them cause they're kinda cute I dunno. Also sorry of any typos in advance in these notes or anything, I caaaant really feel my fingers its so goddamn cold XD

Salyaris didn't dream much. When she did it was usually to have a tea party with Sheogorath, and she didn't exactly count those as dreams. She never really dreamed while growing up, and when she’d asked her parents about it they said there was nothing wrong with that, so she didn't think much of it. It wasn't until after the incident at Helgen that she began to dream... No, dream wasn't the right word to describe them. They were more like... Nightmares. Night terrors. Unwanted and unbidden memories drawing themselves up without her consent and forcing her to come to terms with them.

She tried to convince herself at first that she imagined them happening. She was fairly happy with her life at the moment. She couldn't imagine being content with anything other than travelling through Skyrim with Teldryn and getting into trouble everywhere they went. There was no reason she should be having such terrible nights. Yet they still came and went without her permission.

The most common one started out fairly innocently. She’d be sitting in a house in front of a fire, staring at the flames in a haze of unawareness. She’d sit like that for quite a while, simply enjoying doing nothing for once, when suddenly there would be a loud _boom_ outside. Against her will, she would stand and walk to the door, inwardly panicking as the booming got louder and louder with every step she took.

The door would open by itself -- slowly, so _slowly_ \-- and she would stand in the doorway to look at the world beyond. She would realize then that she was dreaming, for there was _no way_ she’d be back in Helgen of her own free will.

Her surroundings were chaos. Everything was on fire, the buildings falling apart as citizens and soldiers ran about screaming. The black mass of a dragon would be flying around above, it’s earsplitting roar causing Salyaris’ legs to go weak even in her dreams. She knew she was dreaming, she knew this wasn't real, but in her haste to try and wake up her panic would rise. Her increasing fear only seemed to make the nightmare worse, as if her terror was fueling the metaphorical fires. She would be forced to watch as the townspeople burned. The smell of burned flesh was seared into her memories and made her stomach churn. 

Whatever power was forcing her to remember the horror of Helgen refused to let her wake until the dream finished -- which, in most cases, ended with the dragonfires reaching and consuming her as well.

She would always wake in a cold sweat, gasping for breath in a tangle of limbs as she tried to regain her bearings. Her pelt would prickle uncomfortably as if it was still feeling the effects of being burned alive, and it usually took her a long while to calm and remember that no, she wasn't in Helgen anymore. The cold wind of Skyrim would help soothe her frayed nerves and she’d be able to lay there quietly, forcing away the terrible memories until the sun rose.

Lately, however, she’d be awoken each time to.. Well... 

She’d never told Teldryn about her nightmares, and always did her best not to wake him when she had them. Yet it seemed no matter how hard she tried, Teldryn was either already awake or was woken up by her cries in the night. Whatever the case, Salyaris had lately been spared of reliving the whole nightmare by an outside force, a hand on her shoulder or an “accidental” nudge to her side with a certain Dunmer’s foot.

Each time she would wake disoriented and confused, a gentle hand would card it’s fingers through the fur atop her head, much like one would do to a pet. The rhythmic strokes would help further wake her, remind her that the world in her dreams wasn’t real. The hand would continue to do so until Salyaris was fully awake -- she still didn't know how he knew -- before retreating.

Neither would speak of it the next morning, and for that Salyaris was thankful. She was fine discussing many personal things with her best friend, but her nightmares weren't usually one of them. She had a sneaking suspicion that Teldryn knew what they contained, even though he wasn't there to witness the happenings at Helgen. He’d seen the aftermath and just how badly it had affected Salyaris in the weeks afterwards. Yet he didn't bring the subject up, and Salyaris figured that was the best thing for now.


	2. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is... Kind of odd? I'm not really sure how to rightly explain it, but it just doesn't feel like something I'd usually write. Ah well

It wasn't always Salyaris who had nightmares. It wasn't long into their journeys that Salyaris began to notice that her companion had them as well, though they were few and far between. He seemed to control himself better than she did, as well. He didn't cry out in the night and didn't toss and turn as much as she knew she did. In fact, she wouldn't even have noticed he had the nightmares if it wasn't for her exceptional hearing.

The first night it happened, they’d set up camp on a rocky outcropping that overlooked the rolling plains of Whiterun Hold. Teldryn had gone straight to sleep on his bedroll, only just remembering to remove his armor, while Salyaris stayed awake to admire the scenery. She’d been perched on the edge of the rocky cliff, staring out at the grassy hills and watching Masser and Secunda rise higher and higher into the sky when she noticed something off. Her ears had swiveled on their own accord, picking up the distinct sound of an increased heartbeat.

_Thump thump thump thump_

Turning to look behind her, her amber eyes had landed on her Dunmer companion as he slept. As she stared, she was only just able to pick up the slight twitching of his limbs.

_'Ah..'_ The Khajiit thought. _'He’s only dreaming.'_

She could tell something was different, however. She’d sniffed the air as the wind blew into her face, her fur prickling as the smell of fear had reached her nostrils. Ah, not a dream then..

She’d crawled over to her bedroll that sat beside the Dunmer’s as quietly as she could, leaning over his body to glance at his face. His eyes were screwed up tightly, his lips pulled back slightly to bare his teeth in a silent growl. A small sheen of sweat had made an appearance on his forehead. 

Salyaris had sat back and scratched her cheek, at a loss of what to do. She didn't think shaking him awake would be the wisest course of action -- she didn't want to get accidently stabbed or shot at with a ball of fire. 

After thinking for a second, she’d heaved a silent sigh and lay down, facing away from her companion and pressing her back against his. He didn't wake, his mind too tangled in the grip of his nightmare.

Salyaris’ mother, when she was growing up, used to sing softly to her when she had her rare nightmares of monsters under the bed and creatures in the dark. The female Dunmer’s soft voice would wake the Khajiit slowly, just enough to throw off the grip of the nightmare and wake up in comfort. Now, Salyaris wasn't going to start singing. However, she’d figured something else might work just as well.

She’d closed her eyes and thought of every happy memory she could. Images of growing up on the family farm and the funny antics and mischief she and her father had gotten into flashed behind her eyelids, and before long a ragged sound had sprung up from her chest. She couldn't remember the last time she let herself purr while in the company of someone else, but she’d figured now was a good time as any to start.

The soft vibrations flowed through her body, relaxing her muscles and causing her to purr even louder. The reverberations had travelled from her to her Dunmer companion through the close proximity, and Salyaris listened. She’d almost smiled when she noticed him begin to calm, the fear scent lingering but not as strong. She kept purring for him as he slowly woke, slightly confused. When it was obvious he was fully awake, she let the purr trail off. Both of them sat there the rest of the night, awake but in silence. Neither spoke of it the next morning, or ever for that matter. Salyaris figured that if Teldryn didn't want to talk about it, it wasn't her business to pry.


End file.
